Limbo of the Heart
by JustAHappyMask
Summary: In which Ariadne is pretty sure that she has left her heart in Limbo.


Ariadne wants out.

She wants out of this pathetically easy internship, out of this mundane city, out of this joyless existence she is trying (failing) to create. Since Fischer's inception, nothing has offered her even a fraction of the exhilaration she had found while doing Dreamwork. And it was all _his_ fault.

Fucking Dom Cobb.

If he hadn't introduced her to the field of Dreamwork, hadn't introduced her to his flawlessly flawed team, she would be happily finishing her term in Paris right now. She wouldn't critically analyze the lackluster wardrobes of the men in her classes; she wouldn't search frantically for a familiar face everytime she hears a British accent; she wouldn't wonder about the drug compounds used by the psychology department and if they could induce a state of sleep unplagued by nightmares; and, she wouldn't have an ache the size of Limbo in a spot in her chest that felt suspiciously like where her heart should be. Ariadne hasn't heard from, or of, anyone from Dom's (and when the hell had become Dom to her, anyway?) team in five long months, and when she tries to bring it up with Miles one day, he merely gives her a look she can't (is afraid to) read, and tells her, "Give it time."

* * *

><p>She graduates tomorrow, but as she wakes up to her empty apartment (and even emptier life), she still grabs her cold, cold totem to find out which world she is in (it's not the one she wants). She won't (is afraid to) believe that this will be how she spends the rest of her life, with nightmares, and projections that haunt her sleep, and joyless, rule-defined, real-world architecture. Miles pointedly ignores her questions and evident (hasn't she given it enough time?), and Saito will do little more than chat with her, refusing to give out any contact information that the others have given him.<p>

Ariadne would be lying if she said that the utter feeling of betrayal didn't hurt like Mal's knife in her stomach when she comes to the conclusion that they trust Saito, the Tourist, more than they do her.

* * *

She doesn't dream, not anymore, but, _oh_, can she still imagine things. And imagine she does, as she waits for her turn to give a speech under the hot Parisian sun.

She imagines she sees Arthur, in one of his ever-present suits, smiling with fond pride in the audience as the dean mumbles something about her marks being the highest out of her graduating class. She imagines she sees Eames next to him, hears the Forger wolf-whistling as she stands to make her speech, earning himself a soft smile and characteristic eye-roll from the Point Man. She imagines she sees an excited Yusuf smiling at all the right moments, rising to his feet and applauding when she has finished. As she returns to her seat, Ariadne imagines that she sees Dom Cobb, watching her like a predator watches his prey, sees his lips stretch slowly into a grin as he catches her eyes. She freezes momentarily, his blue eyes captivating her, holding her gaze (just like old times), and she is suddenly, furiously searching for her totem inside of her robe as she sits (collapses) back into the metal folding chair. She fumbles twice before gipping smooth, curved metal in her hand, feeling it's weight, and- _oh_. His eyes are still on her, and as she searches next to him, she finds an almost hysterical laughter bubbling up in her throat, because they are _here_. These aren't projections, aren't figments of her imagination. They're _real_, and finally, finally, Ariadne allows herself to feel a spark of hope, allows the gaping hole inside of her to begin healing, because, for the first time since Fischer's inception, everything feels _right_.

As the other students stand to yell and cheer, she is already pushing her way through the masses, looking for the infectious smile of her Chemist, listening for the bickering of her Forger and Point Man, and praying to a god she no longer believes in that they haven't already left, that they're looking for her, too, that they won't just _disappear_ (again). And if, when she (finally) finds Dom and his team, the first thing she does is kiss the fucking Extractor, well, she won't deny the relief that floods her vein as he crushes her body against his. She ignores the cat calls and laughs from her (real) friends, and focuses on the (real) man in front of her, the feel of his stubble scraping her skin, the scent of his cologne, the _reality_ that is far better than a dream ever could be.

* * *

Later, there will be explanations and apologies. Later, they will pick Saito up from the airport, and the six of them will catch up with each other until the early hours of the next day. Later, there will be new (legal) Dreamwork jobs proposed, and blueprints to be made. Now, though, there is only her and Dom, and the healed over heart where Ariadne's own Limbo used to be.

* * *

I truly hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. Ever since I watched Inception (which is an absolutely brilliant movie), I just haven't been able to get the whole Ariadne/Cobb dynamic out of my head. I'll admit that Arthur and Ariadne would make a cute couple, but I much prefer Eames/Arthur (kudos to anyone who caught the hint of that).

Anyway, I (sadly) do not own Inception, nor any of the beautiful, brilliant actors who were in it. Constructive criticism is always welcome along with reviews.


End file.
